7 Unexpected Ways Martial Arts Change People (For The Better)

Our reasons for taking up martial arts vary but for most we take them up to see changes.

Most people will head to the gym to see changes in their physiques but we know that the martial arts offer changes that go far deeper and in this article, we have broken down seven ways the martial arts change people for the better.

1. You No Longer Seek Out Fights

Many of us start martial arts to control our anger; we required a way to channel our aggression from violence into a more productive outlet. After years of training, we have achieved that goal.

2. You Do Not Snap When You Are Challenged

You have just been insulted but take it as the water off a ducks back. The rage that would have once filled your veins is no longer there. Instead, you tactically weigh up the aggressor so that you can strike back if and when you decide it is required.

3. You Respect Everyone

Respect is something that is not often taught but in any martial art we learn that respect is key. We show this with a bow or handshake as we train with a new partner. We show this at the beginning and end of every class.

But why? It is the realisation that we are all human beings and we are in this together. At first, this feeling is merely towards your fellow students, however, in time this feeling grows to outside and to the community.

You respect everyone until they disrespect you or commit an act that loses that respect.

4. You Feel Confident In Situations That Others Crumble In

When you have an opponent who has his 18 Stone frame pressed onto your chest, and you must escape, suddenly everything in life has the volume turned down.

This feeling carries on long after you leave class and the more you take part in martial arts and when you find yourself in situations of stress or crisis you handle them in a far better manner.

5. Your Body Is More Explosive (No Matter How Old You Are)

In a lifetime of martial arts, you will lose weight, put on weight and lose it again. However, you will always retain the ability to create explosive power in an instant.

In boxing, they say the last thing to go is a boxers punch, and the martial arts is the same.

The ability to explode with power and speed will never leave you!

6. You Encourage Others In Every Situation

In class, you are a team, the martial arts can be practised alone, but you will often spend time training with others.

This will require you to encourage others in your training as they encourage you. This is the law of reciprocation at work.

However this process lingers on long after class ends, and you soon find that you encourage others because you do not see them as opponents, you know the greatest opposition is yourself. For that reason, you help people to achieve their goals in life, no matter who they are.

7. Missing Training Is No Longer Filled With Guilt

When you first start martial arts, you need to get to every class, in fact, if you miss a class you punish yourself again and again.

But if you stick with the martial arts you will soon realise that the arts are part of life and not a stop sign.

Family and work commitments all have to be addressed, and your martial art will become a part of that life. It is for this reason that taking a week off training or even a few months will not phase you. Instead, you are filled with the knowledge that you will return when the circumstances prevail.

When you feel in this way, you know you have truly become a martial artist.

Conclusion

The martial arts benefit us all in mysterious ways. Some are intangible benefits that you struggle to put into words; others are more obvious physical ones.

Either way, we know the martial arts hold superb benefits that few appreciate and now we need to encourage others to take them up.

We are guardians of the martial arts and together we can encourage others to make their first step on a journey we have been on for a long time.